Have you ever received excellent service from a company of which you weren’t even a customer? A friend told me the following story.
Real World Story: “On the morning of our last day Harley riding across the USA, my bike stalled in the middle of a road and would not restart. Where do you take a bike apart in Amarillo, Texas, during the heat of a summer day? I pushed the bike off the road into the parking lot of a nearby City Glass. It was about 2pm; the sun was hot. There was absolutely nowhere to get the bike under any shade. The temperature climbed to 106 ˚F that day.
To find the bike’s fuses, I had to unpack it. I removed the saddlebags, back bag and even the seat. Meanwhile, the owner of City Glass gave my wife two
35423058 – couple bikers in a leather jacket riding a motorcycle on the road
bottles of ice water and wouldn’t accept any payment. He offered her a sofa inside the air-conditioned office out of the heat of the day. This was a huge relief for me.
Next I removed the center console where the ignition switch was mounted, and there I found a melted blob of plastic where the switch connector should have been. I went into the store’s workshop and asked the workers where I might get the part. I was first directed to Home Depot. I said; “I don’t want to pay a hundred dollars, for a part that only cost three.” The employee suggested an auto parts store a few blocks away and proceeded to give me directions; however, another worker broke in and said, “They’re not from here. Don’t tell them where it is, take him over there to get the part he needs.”
Another employee looks at me and asks, “What is it exactly you need?” When I showed him the melted part, he immediately said, “I think I’ve got something. Let me go see.” He disappeared for a moment and when he came back he was holding a splice kit, something very familiar to me as I was an Avionics Electrician on aircrafts. So this was good news to me!
Within minutes I had the connection fixed the bike running, ready to go. Later, when it cooled off, we were on our way home.
Like a good neighbor, the employees at City Glass in Amarillo were there for us. They certainly made our day! I’ll forever recommend the franchise to anyone needing its service!”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Be kind to customers and non-customers alike. When you see someone who is hot and uncomfortable, or juggling luggage, or needing an extra pair of hands, offer friendly assistance. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Remember: When you create memorable experiences, people will tell others. As Carl W. Buehner once wrote, “[People] … may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
What do YOU do to create a memorable experience for your customers? Please send me an email and let me know your ideas.